First AFV Build For A While

[Kingsman]

OK.  Having discovered that image linking from my Google Photos works (anyone with a Google account has this facility, which is still free if you upload only lower-res images - look fine to me, see below), we seem to be back on track.

 

So, painting time.  The hard part: painting ones's AFV models seems to be akin to planning for D-day these days............  Last time I did one it was a case of paint it then a few dabs of brown paint on Scotchbrite and a bit of drybrush.  But not these days, oh no no no.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm completely confused by the plethora of chipping type products available.  Bearing in mind that I've been watching over the fence rather than playing in the garden.

 

Here's what I have: 3 types of chipping fluid and washable agent from AK plus one from Vallejo and hair spray.  AK don't really explain the differences in the products: I can only assume resistance to attack.  I presume the scratch effect is most resistant, and worn effects probably the least with heavy chipping in the middle.  The Vallejo product is pretty thick and probably needs thinning to spray, whereas the AK products are airbrush-ready.  The washable agent is a paint additive.

 

I have thought for a while that chipping, wear etc should follow the paint layers on the real thing.  So in this case the green and rotbraun patterns will wear through to the Mittelsand, which will in turn wear through to the red oxide which will in turn wear through to the bare metal - which is NOT any kind of silver.  So that's what I want to try.  But how to do it?  I'm worried about spraying more chipping product over the base layers as I think that will have the opposite effect to that required, making it harder to achieve the effect.  I can see how you might do it with a masked pattern, but then what is the risk of the masking product - whether liquid, tape, film or putty - pulling off the base coat applied over a layer of chipping fluid?  Seems far too likely to me.  

 

So I think I will use AK worn effects chipping product over the base primer before applying the red primer coat - not using another primer product as they tend to be tougher paints.  Then I think I will mix in some washable agent into the Mittelsand and the camo colours.

 

I decided on a dark brown primer, using an Army Painter rattle can.  It's not far off the colour of AK's chipping colour paint.  Tracks will be done with AK's track primer.

 

Scotchbrite for chipping effects has taken on an entirely new dimension from J's Work with a selection of 6 different types of foam and mesh with wooden holders.  You get enough foam and sticky pads for 3 refills of each holder.  Not sure I'll need this if I'm using chipping media.  Worth £15 or so?  Not convinced.

 

In terms of other tools for chipping here's a selection of stiff brushes, erasers, tooth cleaner (the blue thing), cocktail sticks, cotton buds and a paper stump.  All seem potentially useful.  J's work do a special chipping tool (the wooden thing in front of the paints), which is just a piece of flexible plastic in a wooden handle.  Maybe useful, maybe not: you can get a lot of cocktail sticks for £5.  I feel it might prove to be a little too harsh.

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Das Abteilung
Replacing broken image links

[clive_t]

Not seeing the images Peter

[Kingsman]

Oh.  That's not good.  I did exactly the same as I did over on the thread about Photobucket and it worked there: others could see.  Others there are doing the same and it is working for them too.  Are you seeing anything at all?

 

Can anyone else see anything?  There should be 3 pictures in my last post

[clive_t]

33 minutes ago, Das Abteilung said:

Are you seeing anything at all?

 

I see 3 big boxes where the images should be, however in the middle of each is like a traffic-style 'No entry' sign, in grey... do Google images require 'public' visibility even if hosted to a site such as this?

[Kingsman]

Hmm.  Strange.  As I said, it's worked for me and others over on the thread dedicated to the Photobucket aftermath.  I'll try reloading the 3 images into another post.  I wonder if they're too large all together?  I know how to resize them now.

[Kingsman]

Any better?  Yes, there's a 4th image here.

NOTE.  Images have been removed from this post as they have been re-created in their rightful posts.  This was a Google Photos hosting trial.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Das Abteilung
Removal of redundant links

[clive_t]

I see the 4th image ok, but the other 3 are still 'no entry'

[Kingsman]

well that is just plain bizarre .........  All taken at the same time with the same camera and uploaded together.  No discernible difference.

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Das Abteilung
Removal of redundant links

[clive_t]

No joy with that one either! Very strange indeed...

[clive_t]

Even stranger:  that 4th image in the post above, that I was previously able to see, I cannot now see it!

[Kingsman]

If anyone else is watching, can you see the images that Clive can't?

[Diggers11]

I'm afraid I cant either. I have posted another pic in the Photobucket thread with a quick test to see if it only works if the album the photo is in is set to shared on Google Photos.

[Kingsman]

Clive - it seems there might be differences between what can be seen on mobile devices and what can be seen on PC type devices.  What access device were you using when you couldn't see the images?

[clive_t]

Peter, I've looked at it via a windows-10 pc and an Android mobile, same result.

[clive_t]

Oddly enough, I've looked again on my Windows-7 PC and I get to see that 4th image! I'm using Firefox on Win-10 and Win-7 PCs, and Chrome on the Android... stranger and stranger!

[Kingsman]

Others have experienced difficulties with the trial images on the PB thread using mobile access, either not seen or distorted.  Image size might be a problem, although 800 wide seems to be considered to be safe.  My second postings were reduced to 600 wide.  I'm using Chrome and others have said they can see images using Edge.  I'm sure someone will get to the bottom of it. I just wanted to post some more WIP stuff, not solve an IT crisis!

[Bullbasket]

Big fat zero for me as well Peter.

 

John.

[Kingsman]

Well here's hoping we can solve the PhotoBucket-induced image crisis.  I've run out of ideas, although I do claim some credit for initially working out that Google hosting might work.  Except that it doesn't!  Sad face.

 

And in any case I've discovered that among about 1,300 paints I don't have a colour to adequately represent red oxide primer.  I did have one of the modulation sets but sold it ages ago when I decided to clear the German content out of the stash.  Then I bought these 2 E wagens: d'oh!  I do have a Vallejo primer about the right colour, but don't want to use that as I'm concerned it will be too hard for wear effects.  It's primer for a reason.  The Ultimate oxide primer is far too orange, and is again a primer.  I have given the gun barrels a coat of Vallejo grey primer to represent the grey lacquer factory finish, so chipping and wear here will show grey.

 

I'm going to Salisbury tomorrow so I'll have a look in Salisbury Model Centre.  He has a reasonable paint selection.  We're not well served for model shops here in Bristol, despite it being the 5th largest city in England.  If I find something I might get a coat on later tomorrow.  Unscheduled Bovington day on Wednesday to learn about Exceeding Visitor Expectations, so no modelling will be done then.

[Kingsman]

So, mission success at Salisbury Model Centre.  Half a dozen assorted bottles of likely-looking standard Vallejo and Model Air colours.  And a Trumpeter KV-1 M1942 jumped into my arms.  At £18.99 it seemed rude not to give it a good home...........  I've heard good things about their KVs, and the parts do look very nice.  I love the pre-formed upper track run with built-in sag.  Oh, and a Dragon 1/24 Iron Man jumped into the basket too for £8.50: painting challenge.  And let's not forget the £50 or more I spent in the market tool stalls.  Then there was the sausage stall. And the cake stall.  And the wholefoods.........  Followed by a sit down in Costa.  Note To Self: you may want to live in Salisbury, but you can't afford the overheads.........

 

Vallejo Burnt Red looks about right for red oxide, or Model Air Brown RLM26 with a couple of drops of Red RLM23 and no thinning.  Missed a train back by a few minutes and too many delicious sausages to cook and scoff an hour late home, so no modelling tonight.  Busy pretty much through to Monday now with other real world stuff.

[Kris B]

Yes, I think the Trumpeter KV's are good choice. 

[Kingsman]

1942 model, so a bit late for the 3-colour scheme.  So, diving into the ongoing debate about what colour 4BO actually was, how reliably was it produced and did it fade or darken with age. Now that's a whole other thread.............  In fact it's a whole other website, here: http://www.4bogreen.com/

 

[clive_t]

Sounds like you had a profitable time of it in Salisbury, might have to engineer a visit there myself, for the same reasons - including the sausages!

 

As a Bristolian myself, having lived there until about 30 years ago, I fully agree about the dearth of model shops. I remember as a kid in the 60s and 70s there was 'The Model Shop' on Church Road (St George), I practically lived there during the school holidays. Sadly it closed in the early 80s, never to be replaced in my humble opinion.

 

Looking forward to seeing the results of your painting

 

[Kingsman]

On the continuing photo hosting front, I see that my PB-hosted pics are still visible whereas some other people's are not.  I also see that even I can't now see the Goggle-hosted ones I posted. The links still work to open the pictures separately, but that sort of defeats the object.  Hopefully someone will come up with a reliable and usable fix.  I've posted the question on Google's forum.

 

At the risk of this all going horribly wrong with pictures, I thought my improvised spray booth setup might be of interest.  "Proper" ones are very expensive.  I did buy a pre-cut self-build MDF slot-together booth, but it's fairly billy basic and not especially large at 38x24x24cm and with the sloping sides and no top doesn't do much to contain spray mist.  Haven't used it yet, and I've built it so that the sides and back can still be removed to save space.  Here's a photo.

 

I had a large unused plastic storage box, and wondered what I could do with this: idea.  So, I cut a round hole in one side and mounted a 12cm PC fan with a fabric filter on the outside and the usual spider-web metal guard in the inside.  Using a little Really Useful box and some bits and bobs from Maplin I made an on-off switch and connection socket to a variable-voltage transformer I use for mini drills and other things up to 12v.  Using another larger RU Box and more Maplin bits I made a battery box for 8 AAs as a backup power source.  I'm not sure offhand what voltage PC fans usually run at, but I'm running mine at 12v.  That gives enough suction to hold a piece of kitchen roll underneath and enough exhaust to keep one a little way in the air even past the filter.  The turntable was also from Maplin, intended for little TVs or VDUs I believe.  It's not of course anywhere close to being foolproof and I still wear a face mask.  But I recall that it cost me under £30 all in and when the box gets too scruffy I can strip it down and make another.  Being polythene the paint won't stick well and can be cleaned off.  Anyway, here it is.

 

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Das Abteilung
Replacing broken image links

[Diggers11]

Unfortunately I cant see the images or follow any links. I'm using Windows 10, EDGE and Chrome.

[Kingsman]

Google have confirmed that Google Photos does not support 3rd party hosting.  Any links created are only temporary, hence why pictures disappear.  I've opened an account with Imgur, which some other members have been using successfully.  I shall now go back and replace the broken Google links in previous posts.